GG Galore: Protection of Arms
Plus, a hop, skip and jump around the youth sports landscape
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Hi Good Gamers! Today we’re going to hop around the news cycle. On Friday, I’ll be sharing a piece I’ve been thinking on for a while now and may be presenting in two parts. Hint: It’s sorta Super Bowl related. Will be interested to see your reaction.
Anyhow, who else is suffering from SSA? Spring Sports Anxiety. It’s a real thing. Like holy shit, how are we going to get from point A to point B, and is it absurd to let my kids attend back-to-back practices, and what is the opportunity cost of all of this?.
But it sure is delightful to watch my kids compete and, more importantly, they are happy campers so I should probably just relax. Now that you’ve spent your precious time witnessing my little self-therapy sesh, let me give back in the form of recent youth sports news and randomness that caught my eye.
Parents of baseball (and softball) pitchers listen up! Forbes looks at the commonplace nature of Tommy John surgery not only in professional baseball but college and high school as well. The key culprit of what can only be deemed a crisis appears to be the chase for velocity. Forbes includes a chart that looks at the number of times three pitches - a four-seam fastball, cutter, and sinker - were thrown at least 95 mph in every MLB season since 2015. There are massive year-over-year leaps in all three. Most notably, the four-seam fastball reached 95 mph and above on 65,044 pitches in 2015. In 2024, that number skyrocketed to 90,222. The quest for velocity is real but at least MLB has taken safety measures in the form of reduced pitch counts. Theoretically, they have access to best sports science as well.
Now roll it down to the youth level, especially travel ball, and you have the chase for velocity PLUS extreme pitch counts (like 10-year olds topping 90 pitches). Or having a pitcher close out one game and start the next. Or maybe worse, pitching and catching in the same game. The recklessness out there is real. Interestingly enough, Perfect Game , the baseball and softball scouting mecca, just announced that they are partnering with ArmCare.com and players who attend a Perfect Game showcase will receive a detailed analysis of their arm health, plus a year subscription to the Arm Care app. Sounds great in theory until you remember that Perfect Game is rooted in getting young players (some pre-pubescent) to come to their events so they can establish profiles showcasing their stats. They have constant social media posts about the top velo at this and that event. They even send showcase invites to 12-year-olds. Perfect Game is quite legit in many ways but given their onslaught of marketing and dangling of being scouted, it’s hard to imagine them as arm care heroes. Hope I’m wrong.
Here’s a beautiful piece by law student Annie Braff about the impact and heroism of some youth sports coaches, especially her father. I don’t want to spoil the opening anecdote but really suggest all the coaches out there read and follow suit. Braff’s piece is also a gorgeous reminder of how the right coach can alter your life goals.
Former WNBA star Sue Bird appeared on The Unusual Suspects podcast and was asked by co-host Malcolm Gladwell if she would ban parents from youth sports events given the choice. Again, shying away from spoilers so you can and should check out Bird’s thoughtful response.
Lacrosse U.S. Men’s National Team athlete Michael Sowers is a big proponent of free play in all sports for increasing creativity and to curtail plateauing. We are so with you, Michael Sowers!
What a tribute from the Northwest High girls basketball team who stopped the clock in the final seconds of a recent game. It was not to call a timeout but so their principal could come on the loudspeaker and lead an ovation for official Bernie Mackowski who was retiring after 51 years as a basketball ref and baseball umpire. Nice to find a sweet officiating story for once.